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Minituber (Solanum tuberosum) Laboratory

Testing Pilot With Private Laboratories

APHIS will provisionally approve qualified private laboratories to conduct pathogen

testing of minitubers (Solanum tuberosum) and plant tissues used for the production

of minitubers in support of U.S. export certification beginning August 2016. This pilot

will allow APHIS to evaluate the use of private laboratory pathogen test results for

phytosanitary certification prior to pursuing implementation through rulemaking.

To qualify for the pilot, private laboratories must have International Organization for

Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 17025

accreditation for laboratory testing of plants and plant product pathogens.

Interested laboratories must complete and sign the application form and meet all

applicable APHIS requirements to participate. To request the application form,

please send an email to ppqexportservices@usda.gov.

During the pilot, industry may use laboratory test results from approved private

entities when they apply for minituber phytosanitary certification. Once entities

complete the application process, a list of approved laboratories will be provided on

this page.
APHIS’ other accreditation programs—the State National Harmonization Program and

the National Seed Health System—will continue to operate without any policy or

operational changes. 

For more information about this pilot, please send an email to

ppqexportservices@usda.gov.

APHIS-Approved Private Laboratories

Company

APHIS

Approval

Status

Third-Party

Accreditation Approved Services

Agdia

Testing

Services

52642

County Rd.

1

Elkhart, IN

46514

Begins:

September

25, 2020

Expires:

October 30,

2024

ANAB (ANSI National

Accreditation Board)

ISO/IEC 17025:2017

(05/20/2022-

07/15/2024)

Testing of plant pathogens

associated with minituber (Solanum

tuberosum) and tissue derived from

plants used for the production of

minitubers.

National Seed Health System (NSHS)

The NSHS was established by 7 CFR 353.9 . The NSHS specifies standards for

laboratory seed health tests and seed crop field inspections used for issuing

phytosanitary certificates that meet international regulations pertaining to seed

exports from the United States.

Reference Manual A (RM-A)

Administration, procedures, and policies of the National Seed Health System.

Reference Manual B (RM-B)

List of Entities Accredited Under the Seed Health Program

NSHS site at Iowa State University

Regulatory Framework for Seed Health (ReFreSH)
To reduce that plant pest risk associated with the international movement of seed,

APHIS' Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program developed the ReFreSH in

collaboration with the seed industry, State and Federal officials, academia, and

others. ReFreSH is a PPQ-approved systems approach that identifies and leverages

current seed industry production and quality management practices that reduce

overall pest risk. It will recognize these measures within the context of an

accreditation program that accommodates all seed sectors and all sizes of

companies.

State National Harmonization Program (SNHP)

This SNHP for seed potatoes specifies minimum phytosanitary standards to enhance

uniformity and quality in seed potatoes shipped between States, enhance marketing

of high-quality commercial potatoes grown in the United States, and enhance

international marketing of quality seed potatoes exported from the United States.

Requirements for participants include minimum standards set by State regulatory

authorities for certification of seed potatoes to facilitate interstate shipment, export,

and cooperation in pest management.

State National Harmonization Program MOU Template for Seed Potatoes

Approved Laboratories

The following is a list of laboratories approved by APHIS to test seed potato for the

pathogen Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus for export to Canada.

Laboratory Address

Colorado State University Potato Certification

Service Laboratory

San Luis Valley Research

Center 

0249 East Road 9 

North Center, CO 81125

Idaho Crop Improvement Association 1680 Foote Dr.

Idaho Falls, ID 83402

Maine Potato Seed Testing Laboratory 744 Main St.

Presque Isle, ME 04769

Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural

Development

1615 South Harrison Rd.

East Lansing, MI 48823
Laboratory Address

Minnesota Department of Agriculture Seed Potato

Certification Laboratory

312 4th Ave. NE

East Grand Forks, MN

56721

Montana State University Seed Potato Disease

Testing Laboratory

223 Plant Growth Center

Bozeman, MT 59717

North Dakota State University Plant Diagnostic

Laboratory

206 Waldron Hall

P.O. Box 5012 

Fargo, ND 58105

Wisconsin Seed Potato Certification Diagnostics

Laboratory

Russell Laboratories

1630 Linden Dr.

Madison, WI 53706